I’m super psyched for this piece because we’re featuring the one thing that makes our little corner of the internet superior to all others in the blogaverse: our readers! Last week we polled some of our longest tenured and most prolific commenters to see if they wanted to contribute to the blog, and they graciously accepted. Cols714, Arch Stanton, EvilGenius, Mac, and C6H12O6 (the artist formerly known as Matt Gordon) all responded to our questions and showed what makes our Cavs fans the best Cavs fans. I can’t tell you all how much I enjoyed editing this piece, and how great it is to have you all (and not just these five guys) as readers! Enjoy, everyone!

Who/what is your Cavs fandom “spirit animal?”

C6H12O6: A narwhal for both bizarre and literary reasons. The bizarre being the Narwhal is a near mythical mammal often mistaken for a sea unicorn found in two of my favorite childhood storybooks: 20,00 Leagues under the Sea and Moby Dick. A long suffering Cavs fan might also be accused of being a Unicorn especially during the bad years. I too am a bizarre mammal because I started liking the Cavs in 1979-1980 because their players had unique names (Campy, Bingo, Foots, Willoughby) and Walt Frazier was a wizard even though he was older. Read the rest of this entry »

LeBron moved into second place all time in All-Star game scoring with 30 points last night– including 15 in the first eight minutes — but he missed his third MVP trophy when Russell Westbrook went off for 41 points to lead the West to an All-Star game victory last night.

There was a flurry of fluff over the weekend, and it’s impossible to list every interview or soundbite, but one thing of note, LeBron James was elected Vice President of the NBPA, joining president Chris Paul as the top players in the union power hierarchy. Count me in the group that thinks having two max players at the top is bad for the rank and file NBA guys. Their focus is going to on improving contracts for the guys at the top of the salary structure, not the middle or the bottom. Of course, I’m an old school prole. I’m always wary of the rich. If there’s one guy who knows how to leverage his image for gain, it’s James. For all the LeBron news about him holding court at the All-Star game, click here.

With the All-Star game in the books, the talk now turns to the NBA trade deadline, which is Thursday the 19th at 3PM. The Cavs are in the middle of a few rumors, but nothing is really concrete. Let’s take a look at who’s out there in trade or as a free agent, and who could help the Cavs. While the Cavs’ biggest needs are probably another big and another guard, they’d add a wing if the price was right.

What, you thought I wasn’t going to do this again? C’mon! Sure, it’s Valentine’s Day, and sure, Paul McCartney is playing Irving Plaza right now…But IT’s ALL STAR SATURDAY!

This is the first time I’ve watched with the GF…Wish me luck!

8:56 – OK, full discloure, I just got home like 10 minutes ago. It’s Valentine’s day, and the girlfriend and I ended up up wandering around for like 5 hours. I’m exhausted, and I missed the entire Shooting Stars competition. How will I ever forgive myself?

Five questions, five CtBers. It’s all-star weekend! Stick right here for coverage of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night’s events!

1. Who is the most deserving player to be left off the East All-Star squad?

[Editor’s Note, Ben and David’s entries were written before Korver was named as an injury replacement]

David: Kyle Korver should have made it. He’s shooting 52% from the 3-line, and the season is halfway over. He makes 3.1 long balls a game, which is tied for second place in the NBA with Klay Thompson, so he isn’t a fluke. Oh yea, he also trains by running under water holding a boulder, which is just cool. And finally, the Hawks created an offense that utilizes him to alter how people play against their team. His shooting ability eliminates the idea of a weak side help defender for opposing defenses. How many players affect what a defense does that much?

The Bulls came to play, LeBron laid an egg. A win would have been nice for the Cavs, a loss would have hurt the Bulls more than the Cavs. LeBron was -27, Tony Snell, a mutant created when Tony Allen and Ray Allen’s DNA was combined, was +29 and completely dominated LeBron at both ends.

1st Quarter:

Cavs netted the first five points of the game including a LeBron and-1. After a rebound, LeBron stumbled against the pressure of Tony Snell and coughed it up, leading to a Pau Gasol and-1 the other way: five-point swing for the Bulls. LeBron, seemingly annoyed, calmly stepped into a 3 right in Snell’s eye. And that was the last outside shot LeBron made in the half (and he took quite a few). The Bulls turned up the heat at both ends. Rumors of Gasol’s resurgence turned out to be true. He punished the Cavs inside and even stepped out and swished a corner 3. And then Tony Snell happened. In addition to hounding LeBron like a bulldog, Snell cut right down the lane on back to back possessions and threw down vicious 2-handed dunks. The Bulls continued to flash people down the middle of the lane and the Cavs really didn’t do anything to slow them down. Mozgov showed some life offensively, tossing in a nice left-handed pop shot over Joakim Noah, and drove from the foul line-extended to throw down a brutal left-handed dunk.

The Cavs and Bulls were coronated early, and have spent the season looking up at Toronto and Atlanta. In spite of injuries, chemistry issues, and uneven play, both teams are in a position to compete for the Eastern Conference Crown. Tonight, the Cavs try to continue their march into the All-Star Break on a scintillating stretch of offensive dominance. The Bulls will play without Most-Improved Player Candidate Jimmy Butler, and the Cavs willnot have Kevin Love at their disposal. In a game featuring LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Derrick Rose, this contest may be decided in the trenches: Pau Gasol has turned back the clock and Timofey Mozgov has sped it up to a place few thought possible.

I’ll post this later in the weekend, but since it’s already online, sink your teeth into my studio appearance on Dayton’s Sports Scene. We get into all sorts of cool topics and I even took some calls.

The Cavs played outstanding team basketball tonight; 72% of their shots were assisted. They played stellar defense too, holding the Heat to 40% shooting from the field, even after giving the ball away 15 times and letting the Heat sprint on a 21-7 run in the second quarter. The Good Guys just could not be contained and had a sixteen point lead at the end of the third quarter. With the win over the Heat, the Cavs have defeated every team in the East at least once. This was the first win against Miami in a long time. (Miami was missing D. Wade) There’s something special going on at the Q these days, and sloppy segments of basketball can’t stop it. Let’s check it out. Read the rest of this entry »

Revenge is a dish best served in Cleveland. The last time the Cavs met the Heat was on Christmas Day in Miami, and they lost, 101-91. The Wine & Gold have been on a kill streak lately and are looking to continue revenging losses from earlier in the season. I’m sure LeBron James wants to make this a statement game and show he has no fears playing in emotional situations. Read the rest of this entry »

From his days playing at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary with Dru Joyce III, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee and Romeo Travis, to his days as a Cavalier and thier elaborate choreographed pre-game introductions, James has always seemed most comfortable when his team exudes a family atmosphere. When they’re close. When everybody fits in.

So, it wasn’t shocking to see that this weekend, as his new version of the Cavaliers continues to round into form, that James would address what he saw as the team’s squeakiest wheel going forward: power forward, Kevin Love.

The Lineup: (Click for Author’s Archive)

Nate Smith is an Associate Editor. He grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and moved to NE Ohio in 2000. He adopted the Cavs in 2003 and graduated from Kent State in 2009 with a BA in English. He can be contacted at oldseaminer@gmail.com or @oldseaminer on Twitter.

Tom Pestak is an Associate Editor. He's from the west side of Cleveland and lives and (mostly) dies by the success and (mostly) failures of his beloved teams. You can watch his fanaticism during Cavs games @tompestak.

Robert Attenweiler is a Staff Writer. Originally from OH, he's long made his home in NYC where he writes plays and screenplays (www.disgracedproductions.com) some of which end up being about Ohio, basketball or both. He has also written for The Classical and the blog Raising the Cadavalier. You can contact him at rattenweiler@gmail.com or @cadavalier.

Benjamin Werth is a Staff Writer. He was born in Cleveland and raised in Mentor, OH. He now lives in Germany where he is an opera singer and actor. He can be reached at blfwerth@gmail.com.

Cory Hughey is a Staff Writer. He grew up in Youngstown, the Gary, Indiana of Ohio. He graduated from Youngstown State in 2008 with a worthless telecommunications degree. He can be contacted at theleperfromwatts@yahoo.com or @coryhughey on Twitter.

David Wood is our Links Editor. He is a 2012 Graduate of Syracuse University with an English degree who loves bikes, beer, basketball, writing, and Rimbaud. He can be reached on Twitter: @nothingwood.

Mallory Factor is the voice of Cavs: The Podcast. By day Mallory works in fundraising and by night he runs a music business company. To see his music endeavors check out www.fivetracks.com. Hit him up at Malloryfactorii@gmail.com or @Malfii.

John Krolik is the Editor Emeritus of Cavs: The Blog. At present, he is pursuing a law degree at Tulane University. You can contact him at johnkrolik@gmail.com or @johnkrolik.

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